The man, whose name has not yet been released, was taken into custody Wednesday, July 30, about 10 p.m. by the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He has been in custody since his arrest last week.

He is charged with arson in the church fire, as well as a series of other fires in the area, including a vacant nursing home and a vacant house, also in July.

Authorities said the burglary alarm at the church went off around 1:30 a.m. Saturday, July 26. The church is located in the 6600 block of Eastern Valley Road.

While deputies were responding, a witness called them to tell them a man in a red Chevrolet Impala had broken a window on the front of the church, poured gasoline inside and set it on fire.

The suspect saw the witness and fled. The witness then extinguished the blaze. "He was just absolutely a godsend," William Deason, deacon chairman at Bellview Baptist Church, told AL.com Sunday. "A neighbor that lives across the road was coming home and he saw the flames and a car sitting in front. "He turned in and started blowing his horn to frighten the guy. The guy picked up his gas can, got in his car and sped away."

The main damage to the 10-year-old building was a large window in the front entrance that was boarded up Sunday morning. Deason said the suspect broke the window and poured gasoline on chairs sitting inside and set them on the fire. Deason said there was also smoke damage and broken glass on two double-pane glass doors that the suspect tried to break.

Deason said it's sad that the incident happened in this community, where Bellview has been meeting for more than 100 years. "You always think you live in a community, and we do, but I think this is a person that has some mental issues," he said. "I don't think they realize what they're doing. This is the third attack in the area."

Sheriff Mike Hale will hold a 2 p.m. press conference to identify the suspect and chronicle the investigation.